California Get Away

Just got back from a fun little So. Cal. trip with Shannon!
While I like to revisit some of my old favorites, there are plenty of places I haven't yet visited.

I had never been to Descanso Gardens before and we both loved it! Created on a Camellia Farm, purchased from the Japanese owners for a "fair price", when they faced internment during World War II, it was just absolutely, beautiful.

Another So. Cal. favorite, Phillipe's-Home of the Original French Dip Sandwich, was also new to me. Shan and I both found ourselves "mmmming" as we ate, so good and such a unique place! French dip sandwich, pickled egg, heavenly dill pickles, homemade lemonade, coleslaw, all delicious! We loved it!

The "Best Chinese Restaurant in Monterey Park", according to several on-line sites, was indeed the best CHINESE restaurant. It was AUTHENTIC and we were the only non-Chinese in the place, which was a very large and packed restaurant. No Sweet and Sour here, oh no, we're talking jellyfish, tortoise, duck feet and an interesting complimentary, Barley dessert "soup', kind of a watery, lightly sweet, cinnamon(?) porridge...It reminded me of something a very sick person would have been fed in a Dicken's novel. Only chopsticks were provided and I did my best, which isn't saying much! Finally one of the many waiters who were standing on the sidelines, almost at attention, came over and asked, "you won fowk?" Everyone in the restaurant was eating the lovely fried, giant, prawns "in toto", just as they were prepared, heads, little legs, shell and all. I figured "when in Rome" and decided to attempt the same... I am blaming the shells for my latest bout of Diverticulitis. Anyway, Shan and I agreed that a loud outburst of laughter and conversation probably ensued once we walked out the door! I'm sure we were a comical sight., at least I was, Shan is chopstick savvy.

Speaking of Chinese Americans.Everyone knows that there is at least one donut shop every block in So. Cal. and the best donuts, in my experience, are the ones made by a Chinese cook. We, once again, turned to google to find the best donuts in our area and when we walked in and was greeted by an old Chinese guy behind the counter, Shan and I looked at each other and shared a silent, exultant, "YES!" We knew we had chosen wisely. Oh! They were good!

After visiting the Getty Villa in Malibu, we had lunch at M Cafe, an interesting place.  We were seated by the bar since we had actually missed our reservation because I took a wrong turn, necessitating 40 minutes of hairpin switchbacks through a wild Malibu canyon, (car sick, anyone?) anyway... Once we got there it was largely populated by a mix of Malibu/Hollywood Hybrids ( if I ever see one more plumped upper-lip, spray tan or insanely high wedge sandals, it will be too soon) and families with dogs and kids running around. Shan felt out of place with our conservative attire, but me... one of the gifts of getting older is, "I don't give a DAMN what they think, my money is just as green as theirs." Check out the website, it is much less "manicured" than shown, almost had a mom and pop feel to it or maybe just budget problems, but still, I liked it!
                                                                                     
                                      It looked like this the day we were there>

So, that's it in a nutshell. So fun to spend some time with my girl, back in the land of my youth!

Spring Break! Girl Gone Wild!

Returned to school after a week of exotic travel, intellectual stimulation and...

Well, what really happened is, I didn't do much of anything for 5 days and it suited me just fine, thank-you.

 I attended the funeral of a good friend's brother. It is horrible when it takes a funeral to get the two of us together but, I was glad to be a small support to her and to be able to honor her brother and his surviving partner, of 25 years. He was listed, by first name only, as his best friend in the obituary. I am not judging those who authored the obit. I know they were doing the best they could. But it broke my heart and made me hope for the day when fear won't keep us from proudly acknowledging the caring, committed relationship of a loved one.

I had lunch with a friend who told me she had promised herself she would not be "negative" at our lunch date. I advised her, as her "therapist", that in this case negative was good. Where else can you be "negative" if not with a trusted friend? I go home feeling purged after one of my "sessions" with my "therapists". Hey, lunch is a lot cheaper than real therapy and I would guess there's also a lot more humor involved! So bitch away! Then go home with a smile on your face, knowing you aren't alone in the battle and it's possibly not as bad as it seemed before you brought it all out across the lunch table and umpteen refills of diet coke.

One early morning, I took my synthetic down comforter, and a jillion quarters, to the laundromat. Although having all the machines to yourself brings a kind of "early-bird getting the worm" sort of self satisfaction, being in a laundromat alone, in a deserted strip mall is creepy.  I thought of just going to sit in my car to wait for my load, but I LOVE that dang comforter and I guess I would risk robbery rather than have it snatched from the dryer! I was really relieved when another early bird, arms loaded with Big Load items, showed up.

Having watched 1-4 episodes per day, I can proudly say that I am caught up to Season 4 of Breaking Bad. I have become addicted to it, much like the meth heads often portrayed in the show. I just think it is genius, so well written, the characters well developed, causing me to laugh out loud one minute and to yell out, "hurry, hurry!! arghhhh!", the next. I'm hooked! The new season doesn't start til Fall! How will I survive?

Lastly, took Shannon and Barry to a hole-in-the-wall Mexican place over on the west side of town, and I mean WEST in the worst sense of the word. Or the best sense, depending on what you're looking for. You want dive, holeinthewall, go west young man! This place had four small, 4 person booths and a counter that was almost part of the tiny kitchen, seating another four. Food was served on old,finely cracked, melamine plates of the beige, slightly speckled 1960 variety. I can only wonder how many thrift stores the owners had to scour to get a set of 13. No soda machine, bottled-pop only, and plastic forks. The food was great, very authentic. Barry loved it, saying it took him right back to his Central Mexico Mission, in more ways than one. It was delicious!...and waay too much money! I guess in the novelty of the experience, I didn't notice the prices while ordering. While the food was wonderful, the service-ware and general state of the building called for a price break. I thought $9.00 (an old) plate was a bit much! But it was fun being together, feeling adventurous, so worth it. And I guess you are paying for the ambiance.

Hope you enjoyed a love filled Easter!

A Reprieve

Well, I still have my job, the one I love!

Friday afternoon at 3:00, everyone got an email that basically said, "If I haven't met with you this week, you will be in the same job next year."  I breathed a sigh of relief, getting teary as I read it to my office-mate.Two teachers were released from their contracts, seven others shifted to other grades. It wasn't just my imagination.

I am a person who is always "waiting for the other shoe to drop". Why do I always fear that the good spot I'm in can't last forever?  I somehow think of my worrying as being prepared, always steeled against disappointment. But why do I anticipate disappointment? To maintain a sense of control? Because I feel that I don't really deserve happiness? I don't know...

So, with a little survivor's guilt, I happily look to next year. I hear that there will be many changes in the program I am involved in, but as I said, "Baby, I'll do anything.."

Thanks for listening to my worries, Cathy

.

I love you I need you I want you.

I hate feeling like I'm "outta the loop", like somebody knows something I don't...about me. And that is what is going on lately at work. So, it is with much anxiety that I announce I may have a big post after this weekend...or later...depending on how long the powers that be drag this thing out, this batch of intrigue, speculation, and questioning, served with a steaming cuppa' hot resentment and angst. Moving people around like chess pieces. It's good to mix things up.

I think... or I may just be suffering from paranoia. But I'm feeling the vibes.

Things are starting to line up, like all of the pointed looks while being asked vague but leading questions. Questions for which I don't have an answer. I look back on conversations and think, "Oh my gosh, is THAT what they were getting at, is THAT why they asked ..."

I've had it pretty good these last 10 years. I've loved my job. Loved it. I felt like I was led to it by Providence. It was where I was meant to be.
Five years ago I went from simply loving it, to needing it, when I went full-time to provide my family with health insurance. Then, it was something I was glad that I loved, because there was no going back, especially having joined the ranks of  The Cancer Patient.
And now, I want it, want it with an "I'll do anything baby, just don't leave me!" desperation.

Insert a thoughful pause, punctuated by small shoulder shrug, with raised eyebrows, here.

Let's hope I'm a little paranoid.

Old Friend

I have been thinking so often of an old friend lately, and for me that usually means something.

I have had dreams, intuitions, and other things that are meaningful to me and that have been "spot-on". While I don't consider myself psychic, by any means, I do have these experiences (for lack of a better word), that are unexplained and out of the blue.

These thoughts I was having were most strong last week and, being unable to contact my friend, I just hoped for the best and put them out of my mind. Then, the other night I on my way home from Parent Teacher Conference, I flipped on the radio and heard a little known artist on a nighttime Jazz program that I rarely, if ever, listen to.  Boy, that music took me back to the olden days, when we were friends. Then, today I saw something on MSN's home page that was strongly tied to this old friend and my thoughts were once again at the forefront.
SO...

On the very small chance that they might check my blog from time to time...

Old Friend,
Out of the blue, you've been strongly in my thoughts. I hope all is well for you and your family, that you are all happy, healthy... wealthy and wise : ) Just hope everything is good for you and that you still listen to Claude Bolling every now and then. Take care.

Your old friend, Cathy

Sundance with my BFFs.

 My friend Gail and I met up in Macey's parking lot, ready to head north through the elements. The rain of the morning with Shannon, had now turned to snow. Thank goodness, once again, we could wait  inside for the second Sundance movie of my day!

                                                                    Elena

Elena is a Russian film with subtitles. When I think about Russian movies, I think of something stark, depressive, with a nihilistic theme. I don't know how I developed this opinion, it's not as if I've seen a lot of Russian movies. I must have seen one sometime and it stuck with me, but honestly Elena was pretty much spot-on with my expectation. It was a tale about unfairness, about how this woman was sometimes powerless, how this woman found a solution and about how things are pretty much hopeless either way. Yes. It was a Russian movie.
It gave us a lot to think and talk about on the way home. Russian movie or not, it is a common story, crossing cultural lines about women in general. Universal themes such as what mothers give up for their  children and husbands, dependency, regret, feeling powerless, feeling over, and ever, responsible.

So! As we sat in our seats, people were filing in, filling every spot and I was telling Gail about Oxygen Woman. I'll be darned if she didn't appear right over Gail's shoulder, eyeing the open seat next to me! She glanced at me and moved on down the aisle, as I covertly hit Gail in the thigh and gave her a pointed "look" to alert her to what had just happened! Gail looked and turned to me with her own "pointed look", nodding!
"That's her! That's Oxygen Gal!!" I whispered to Gail with glee!

                                                          

                                                                  Fathers Chair

Sunday arrived, the sun shining! The snow was gone and, once again, I was heading north with one of my bffs to see a movie! Life is good! Bridgette agreed, that it was great to be out broadening our horizons together! Some of you may be thinking, " going to the movies instead of church!? Broadening your horizons? the horizon of HELL!"
Actually, I think "playing hooky"  may have added to the pleasure, the novelty of the excursion. But then, I'm bad, so...

Fathers Chair was, this time, not about a woman, but about a man with unresolved issues of abandonment. (can they ever be resolved?). He loses his son, journeys through the, mostly beautiful, countryside of southern Brazil to find his son and finds his father and himself in the process.  We both agreed that when his father explains " I can't hear you!" in a wood shop, after all the years of their estrangement, he really can't "hear him", never could, never will. And the relationship, should he continue it from there on out, will have to be based on that knowledge. His father isn't able to give him what he wants. Can he be happy with what he is able to give? Can he accept his father's inadequacies?

We stopped at the clean and retro Village Inn where Bridget treated me to a piece of Rhubarb pie. I know...Rhubarb?? It just sounded good, and it was! We solved the world's problems, discussing acceptance, forgiveness, the kindness of strangers, familial relationships and disappointments. Like I said, these movies really give you a lot of "food for thought"...but that doesn't mean you still don't need a nice piece of pie with your bff!

Oh! And guess who was there? I'll give you ONE guess. hahahaha

Sundance! I finally got tickets!

                                                  First movie- Middle of Nowhere

She gives up Med School to support her man while he's in prison and finds herself in the process.

Gourmandise Bakery, one of my faves!

Saturday morning, Shan drove up in a pouring rain, to pick me up a couple of hours before the movie. We figured 40 minutes before the film to be in line, 45 minutes to eat our scrumptious Gourmandise brunch, and half-hour to drive and find a place to park. Yes, we were women with a plan...and umbrellas!

The wait line was inside at Rose Wagner Theater and thank goodness, cause it was still cats and dogs outside! The theater filled, finally leaving only a few single seats open, one of which was next to Shan. Soon, down the aisle lumbers an older woman, trailing an oxygen unit beside her, the Pssss, Pssss, sound preceding her. Shan immediately starts to pray, "not this seat, not this seat..." Shan's a kind, compassionate person but the high, whistle-y pssss of a p.o.c. just hits her ears like a tiny dog whistle. But, sure 'nough the old gal takes the seat next to Shan. But whatever, Shan figures if she's got the gumption to make her way out to a movie or 20, she was wearing one of the platinum passes, good for her.  Then she proceeds to cough, and cough, the very deep, phlegm-y cough of my poor old grandma who died with emphysema. Then she proceeds, once the movie has started, to slowly and laboriously open some candy wrapped in the most child-proof, crackly, crinkly, material known to man.
 She has a large, opened bottle of water on her knee and about halfway through the movie, it proceeds to tip, first spilling over to pour onto Shan's upper pant leg, then falling to the floor and splashing up and soaking Shan's lower pant leg. Through it all, the poor woman really smelled like a Depends past its prime. Poor old gal...and poor Shan.
She figured maybe it was Jesus in disguise. You know, the "when did we see thee in prison..." thing, so she tried to cut the "Oxygen Woman" some slack. Shan's pants were soaked.

Anyway, we loved the movie! Great cast and very thought provoking. Watching Ruby discover her strength, seeing her eyes open, finding her voice, gave us so many things to talk about, like motivations, being blinded by love, family dynamics and other important things such as how hot the lead actor was. It has a super soundtrack that I hope will be released soon!  It was fun to see the stars in a question/answer session after, to hear their thoughts on making the film, on their characters. And it was especially fun to spend a rainy, Saturday morning with my girl amongst the cinophiles : )